In the Light

“I want to be in the Light
As You are in the Light
I want to shine like the stars in the heavens
Oh, Lord be my Light and be my salvation
Cause all I want is to be in the Light
All I want is to be in the Light.”

Morning One – I helped Jesse get his kayak and gear into the water, turned right and was treated to this spectacular sunrise.Morning Two – En route to the fishing spot Jesse had selected, we saw this spectacular sunrise. Though it looks like the sun rising from an African savannah, it is actually over the still-dark canyon behind our campsite.Morning Three – Unobscured by nearby trees, the sunrise was blindingly bright and beautiful at this morning’s fishing spot.

In recent years, we have started a new tradition of taking the younger kids camping over the extended Labor Day weekend. It is a much-anticipated time of getting away from the busyness of our life in the city to enjoy the slower pace of an unplugged, back-to-the-basics existence. This year, we headed to the canyons hidden within the panhandle of Texas.

A true angler, Jesse woke at the crack of dawn to fish each morning. I served as his chauffeur, being a morning person myself, and we left the night owl to enjoy his slumber a little longer.

While Jesse tempted the occupants of Lake Theo with his tasty bait each morning, I spent my time walking with the Lord through His Word. On the second morning just after the sun had crested the canyon, I read,

“Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun.” Ecc. 11:7

That verse struck me in a completely new way that morning. While I love camping, love the family togetherness, love seeing new sights, love getting back to the basics, love cooking over a campfire, etc., I do not love bugs and creepy-crawly things. In my head, the dark belongs to the evil creepy-crawly things. For this reason, I greet the morning light as eagerly as our resident angler. For fishermen like Jesse, light IS sweet. It IS pleasant for the eyes to see the sun because that’s prime time for catching.

Something to Ponder: As a child of God living in a dark world where the enemy is creeping and crawling around seeking whom he may devour, do I shine? To the eyes of the fallen who desperately need to see the Son, am I a beacon of His light?